


The Storm Chasers

by Krisser__kris



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Inspired by a Movie, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-11-01
Updated: 2001-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-05 16:14:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krisser__kris/pseuds/Krisser__kris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Based on the movie: Twister. A former storm chaser must confront his old team mate before moving forward with his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Storm Chasers

**Author's Note:**

> Part of My Mongoose Ezine: Many Movies of The Sentinel - Dec. 20, 2001
> 
> Many thanks to Mary for the beta.
> 
> Many thanks to Patt for the art and encouragement.

** The Storm Chasers **

**By Krisser**

 

AU Movie Fic based on Twister

 

 

**A Couple of Decades Ago**

 

The little, curly-haired boy was yanked from his bed. He whimpered as his mother carried him roughly from his bedroom.

“Come on, honey. Daddy says we have to get to the storm cellar.” The red-haired woman put her ten year old son down and grabbed his hand. She pulled him behind her as she headed for the front door.

The man already had the cellar doors open. He herded his family inside as he fought the wind. Even closing the doors proved to be a difficult ordeal. He closed the lock and felt his way to light the lantern. The wind whipping through the cracks snuffed out the light immediately.

The little boy pulled out a small flashlight from his back pocket. After he handed it to his dad, he took his mother’s hand again.

The wind gales became so intense that the cellar doors shook and rattled and the hinges were working loose. The man went and stood beneath the doors, holding on to them with his entire body. The shelter creaked, the gale force shook the entire underground shelter. The hinges finally worked loose and the man yelled, “I can’t hold it.” No sooner was it stated than the door, hinges, man and all were sucked up in to the centrifuge of wind, never to be seen again.

The little boy screamed for his daddy, but his daddy couldn’t hear.

\--------------------

**Twenty years later**

**National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL)**

 

The numerous computers of the NSSL were connected to global satellites. Updating themselves every three minutes. The color graphs were depicting the storm activity for the tri-states. Oklahoma was lit up like a Christmas tree. The colors and images were changing rapidly.

One of the meteorologists studied the screen intently, “Gracie, I think you should look at this.” He pointed to two different monitors.

The tall woman studied the satellite global map, She shook her head worriedly, “If these cells keep building this way, we could have a record outbreak of storms.”

The man nodded, “This could be a long day.”

\---------------

Blair Sandburg, meteorologist and tornado specialist, had his team in the field at the crack of dawn. He had been keeping tabs on the satellite storm tracking system so he knew that several storms were expected today.

Sandburg knew that this was the best chance for his team to study the inner workings of a twister and place them on the cutting edge of tornado forecasting.

Blair had spent a great deal of his childhood roaming the world with his mother. The loss of his father profoundly affecting both mother and son. He entered college at sixteen and due to a lack of a social life, he pursued a joint major of meteorology and anthropology. By twenty-two, he had received masters degrees in both majors.

The learned man had spent the next three years in the field in exotic and rural places of the world. His hair grew, he filled out with the physical requirements of living in primitive conditions. The nerd that had been ignored was a sought after man upon his return.

Resuming his life stateside, he focused solely on tornadoes. With the new technology available, he knew that he could make a difference. He needed to make a difference. This was the last step to his Ph.D.

Today, he knew his team was close.

\----------

The red Dodge truck ate up the miles on the deserted road. The driver tapped a beat matching a tune in his head. The passenger checked her lipstick in the visor mirror.

Jim Ellison and Carolyn Plummer were on their way to intercept Sandburg’s team.

“Jimmy, are you sure he’s going to be there?” the short-haired woman asked.

“If I know Sandburg, he’s already dragged his whole department out here…..Hell, it’s to be expected on a day like today …he forgets everything except his work.” Jim spoke with a gentle fondness in his voice.

“He did say he would sign them?” Caro asked worriedly.

“Yes…he said it was done.” He leaned over and kissed her.

Carolyn thought to herself that Blair was selfish bastard but she wouldn’t say it aloud, Jim always got mad if anyone said negative stuff about the little prick.

\------------

Set up at the south end of the Great Salt Plains Reservoir, Sandburg’s storm chasing team had their equipment set up. The five vehicles had cords running from them to the various computers.

Blair stood on top of Joel’s van working on the largest of the satellite dishes.

“Okay, Professor, I think I fixed it,” Joel called up to his boss.

Blair nodded as he plugged the dish in again. Sparks flew and the meteorologist quickly pulled the plug out. Kneeling on top of truck, he looked under the rim and twisted some lose wires together. He replugged it and called down, “Flip it on again.”

The Doppler dish finally moved and reset itself to the inputted coordinates.

“Give me a reading,” Blair requested.

“Which way do you want it?” Joel asked as Megan joined him at computer screen.

“Looks like the dryline is stalled. Give me a sector scan, west, northwest; look at mid levels for rotation and increase the PRF…” Blair barked out his requirements.

On the far side of the research camp, Rafe was complaining to his partner, “All I am saying is don’t fold the maps…”

Daryl rolled his eyes at his anal research mentor, “I didn’t fold the map.”

Rafe pointed to the map in his hand, “Well, Kansas is a mess, there’s a crease through Wakita,” the storm chaser demonstrated, “All I’m saying is don’t fold the maps….roll the maps.”

Daryl rolled his eyes again.

The sky was incredible, the single cloud full and dark. The contrast was startling as the lightening broke across it. The storm cloud stretched for as far as he could see, Jim was awed by the expanse before him.

He saw Blair’s team, set up and working. He slowed the truck as he cruised into camp. He pointed the crew out to Carolyn, “Lookee there…the storm chasers.”

Rafe, Daryl and H greeted Jim like a long lost friend. A chorus of Jims hailed him.

H couldn’t help himself, he yelled out Jim’s old nick name, “The extreme.”

Jim got out of the truck and before going around to open the passenger door, he yelled out, grinning, “Don’t start that shit.”

He pointed to Brown as he introduced his companion, “Caro, this is H Brown, known as the dust man.”

Trying not to get dirty, Carolyn said, “Nice to meet you.”

Jim added, “The dust man has been chasing with us ever since we started.” He turned to Brown, “Where is Sandburg?”

“Over by the Doppler,” he pointed to his left, “Broke down again…we’re running out of grant money,” Brown hoped that Jim was back, the team always functioned better when they were all together.

“Honey, why don’t you stay here with Dust Man, I’ll be right back.”

Carolyn nodded; not much else she could do.

“Blair is gonna wig when he sees that Jim is back,” Brown said under his breath.

“I’m not back,” Jim yelled back, his exceptional hearing proven once again even with his senses offline.

“The prodigal son returns,” Simon said in welcoming, wondering what was up and why Jim was back here opening old wounds.

“Hi, Joel,” Jim patted his old friend on the back as he passed by.

“Hey, Jim,” the black man answered warmly.

Jim looked up to the top of the Doppler and felt the tingle of recognition, even a hint of scent memory, he shook his head. He wanted to get this over with. “Hey, Sandburg.”

Blair’s heart stopped. He turned slowly and looked down at his old friend, “Hey, Jim. Glad you found us.”

“How ya doing?” Jim asked softly, despite what he had lectured himself on.

Blair ignored the actual question and answered one unasked, “Going good, seen the sky today?”

Lightening crackled and lit up the monster cloud that stretched across the entire sky that they could see.

“Yeah she’s really talking.”

Blair threw the extra cable at Jim to distract him. “Biggest series of storms in twelve years…one lined up right after the other. NSSL is saying they’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Is that right….” Jim sighed, making himself get on with it, “Professor, about the loft deed?”

Before the fidgeting man could answer Daryl squawked for help. “The camera is broken.”

Blair jumped down off the truck to tend to it. Jim just stared after him, amazed at how strong the smells were around him.

Rafe joined Daryl, as soon as he saw Jim, he stuck out his hand and said, “Welcome back.”

Megan Connor stepped in next to Daryl, “Hiya, Mate, glad you’re back.”

Jim smiled at the group, “I’m not back.” Then as Blair returned “…About those papers, I did drive all the way out here for them.”

“They’re signed and ready.” Blair told him without turning around.

“Okay. Let’s see them.” Jim was very impatient, he just wanted to get this over.

“Do you need them right this second?”

“It’d be nice.”

Megan leaned in to hear but Joel turned her away, knowing that the two needed some privacy.

“What’s the urgent urgency….you act like you’re getting married,” Blair said as he finally looked down at his ex-lover.

“I am.” Jim said without any emotion showing on his face.

Blair’s world dropped out from underneath him. He loved Jim, never stopped...even when...he stopped his thoughts and said, “Wow. Is it Carolyn?”

“Yeah.” Jim again said it stoically.

“Oh,” Blair walked to truck and reached inside to his backpack and grabbed the papers. After handing them to Jim, he walked away.

Jim looked at each page and found one not signed. They had bought the loft together to avoid capital gains taxes, now it was harder unraveling their joint venture than he ever imagined it would be.

Blair returned and started reading the paper.

“Damn it, Sandburg, just sign it so we can get out of here,” Jim held out a pen to Blair. It was in vain.

“We? You brought Carolyn?”

“Yes. She’s with Brown.” Jim wasn’t sure why Blair was asking until he headed that way.

Blair turned and walked away, forgetting the papers. “You left her with H…man, the stories he’ll reveal.”

Jim was left with no option but to follow Blair on his way to meet Carolyn.

Brown was delighting her with the explanation of the suck zone.

“Suck zone?” Carolyn asked with trepidation.

“The point where, basically, in which the twister sucks you up.”

Blair hated her on sight, but put a smile on his face, “You must be Carolyn. Jim has told me the happy news.”

“Which?” Carolyn asked, bewildered.

“Us….marriage,” Jim answered.

“Blair - Carolyn; Carolyn – Blair,” Jim finished the introductions.

“Happy news,” Blair repeated without any truth to the words.

The rest of the team stood behind Jim in shock… all their faces mirrored the same thought…Jim marrying someone other than Blair.

Brown stepped in, “Jim, you taking the vows…that’s sweet.”

Carolyn took that as a sign of approval, “We just wanted to get it done before Jimmy started his new job.”

Blair nodded, “Oh that’s right…weatherman.”

“What?” Jim said sharply.

“What?” Blair returned confused.

“Go ahead say it,” Jim was resigned to the ridicule.

“Say what?” Blair, then quickly understood Jim’s insecurity. “Weather man… I think it’s great.”

“No, you don’t. I know that tone.” Hurt that Blair would make fun of him.

“No tone, man…unless you have a problem with...being a weatherman?” Blair was trying to gauge what Jim needed just now.

“No problem, I looking forward to it, normal hours,” the last was said under his breath.

Blair smiled then turned and left. He saw the bright red truck and walked around it.

Jim followed.

Feeling Jim’s presence, Blair rambled, “Wow…new truck, new job, a wife…..it’s like a whole new you.”

“Sandburg,” Jim said very impatient.

Blair paced, “Shit, this is very awkward.”

“I know, tell me about it.” Jim agreed.

“No, I thought you’d be coming out here alone,” Blair was suddenly insecure himself.

Jim jumped in abruptly, “I wasn’t expecting on coming out here at all, you said you’d meet me….”

Blair interrupted, “…It’s about Dorothy.”

Alert, “Dorothy?” Suspicious, “What about her?”

“She’s here!” Blair told Jim, excitement rising in him.

“Show me,” Jim’s face lit up.

Blair moved around his yellow truck and ripped off the dark cover, reveling a round cylinder with a picture of the Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy on the side.

“I can’t believe you did it.” Awe and wonder filled his voice.

“We built four of them,” Blair said proudly.

“Does she work?” Jim was almost hesitant, this had been his dream for so long.

Blair hopped up into the back of the bed and pushed on a lever. The top opened to expose little round balls inside, filled with computer chips.

Jim got up beside Blair, elated with what he was seeing. He could see inside the sensor balls and realized that his senses were online and humming, it was a few more seconds before he realized that he was a functioning sentinel again.

“I thought you’d want to be here for the first time out….wouldn’t seem right without you.” Blair told Jim softly, sincerely.

Jim looked at Blair, then back to Dorothy.

Below them could be heard the team voices.

“This is gonna be good,” came from Rafe.

“How sweet is that?” Brown said proudly, “Jim’s concept man…the extreme, man.”

Joel added, “It came from his brain.”

Jim blushed under all the praise, “I had a hand in it,” he said modestly.

Carolyn nodded as if she were following the discussion, “Wow, that is great,” then a slight pause, “Ah, what is it?”

Proud and delighted, Jim explained, “An instrument package for studying tornadoes. The first one in history.”

Jim watched Blair proudly as he excitedly shared the project.

“It’s very exciting. The scientists have been studying tornadoes forever, but still, nobody knows how a tornado works. We have no idea what is going on inside because no one has ever been able to take scientific readings from the inside the funnel. That’s what she’s going to do.”

She was both curious and skeptical, “How?”

Blair continued explaining, “We put her up inside a tornado,” Blair hit the lever that opened the lid to reveal the hundreds of metallic balls with the sensors inside them. “She opens, then releases hundreds of these sensors and that measures all parts of the tornado simultaneously.”

Jim was so excited he couldn’t contain himself and added detail. “You see, Caro, these sensors go up the funnel and radio back the information about the internal structure…wind velocity, flow asymmetry, we can learn more in thirty seconds than they have in the last thirty years. Get a profile of the tornado for the first time.” Jim demonstrated by using the picture of the funnel on the side, of how the sensor would travel.

Simon watched and saw Jim’s face become alive and Blair became more animated than he had been in months. Those two were a team, how would they keep them together?

“And what will that do?” Carolyn asked.

“If we knew how a tornado really worked we could design an advanced warning system.” Jim told her with satisfaction.

“Aren’t there already tornado warnings?” She thought this redundant.

“Yes. But,” the two meteorologists said at the same time. Then Blair jumped in and Jim let him run with it

Blair was emphatic, “They’re not good enough, they’re nowhere near good enough. Right now it’s three minutes, if we could … if we could get this new information, we could increase warning time to fifteen minutes.”

Jim smiled at Blair, “Give people a chance to get to safety………… At least, that’s what these guys are trying to do.”

Group applause sounded. They were all proud of the accomplishment and they were proud of Jim. His imagination made it possible.

Jim looked over at Dorothy, “I can’t believe you actually did it.” He was reverent.

Blair wouldn’t take all the credit, he indicated the group around him, “Well, we did it.”

Carolyn wasn’t impressed with the mutual appreciation society, but she was puzzled on one account, “How do you get it in the tornado?”

Jim looked out at the storm chasers, “You gotta get in front of the tornado and put it in the damage path, then get out again before it picks you up, too.”

Brown grinned, he looked at the others as they all chimed in, “The suck zone!”

Hurrying over, Joel announced excitedly, “We got major action, NSSL says the cap is breaking, the tower is going up thirty miles up the dryline.”

Blair looked to Jim to see if he was interested

Jim hesitated…this was his old life not his new one.

Blair called his team into action, “All right, let’s go.” He closed the truck bed, sad with the realization that Jim was really out of it now. Blair felt a wave of despair wash over him, but he knew that he had to thrust it aside. They had to get out into the field.

“We’re moving,” Brown called out.

Rafe grabbed the maps as Daryl popped the keys into the ignition

Simon helped Joel and Megan get the dish down as Blair packed up the computer.

Rafe and Daryl doubled checked their area and then pulled out waiting for the convoy, they were always third.

Simon, Megan and Joel hurried to check the strapping on their trucks. H pulled out, turning on all the inside computers that ran as he drove the motorhome.

Jim watched for a bit then guided Carolyn away from the moving vehicles. Aloud he said for his own assurances, “They got this in hand. I mean this is what they do, they live for this.”

“Ah, huh,” his fiancée answered.

“Dorothy 1, ready,” Simon called out.

“Dorothy 2 and 3, ready,” Megan chimed in right after.

“Dorothy 4, packed and ready,” Joel called out in order of their roll call.

“You want to join them?” Carolyn asked, watching Jim watch after them.

Jim looked at her, “Me?…no.”

Honks said goodbye as the vehicles went past.

Carolyn then asked, “Did he sign the paper……?”

“Shit, no.”

“No kidding?”

“Hurry, we can still catch them,” Jim said as he ran for his truck.

Simon watched as Jim joined in the convoy and yelled as he passed, “I’m glad you’re back.”

“I’m not back.” Jim yelled to the passing vehicle after he rolled the window down.

\---------

Blair was in the lead. He picked up the CB and spoke into it, “Rafe can we do better than the 30?”

“No not for a while, wait ‘til we cross Rogers Creek,” the map man directed after double checking the routes available.

“Copy that.” Blair headed out on Rafe’s directions.

Jim took up at the end of the convoy……enjoying the moment. Then dust in his rear view showed a line of black vans with high tech equipment atop them. Jim recognized the lead passenger.

“Kincade, son of a bitch.”

“Who is it, Honey?” Carolyn worried about the tone of Jim’s voice.

“Garret Kincade, he’s known as the night crawler. We all started out in the same lab, but he went out and got himself some corporate sponsors. He’s in it for the money, not the science. He’s got a lot of high tech gadgets, but he’s got no instincts… and he doesn’t have Dorothy.”

Blair listened to the message on his CB from Simon, “Think we got fleas….”

Jim picked up the CB, “Sandburg, come back.”

You’re here,” Blair was happy to hear Jim’s voice, “You change your mind?”

“Well, what is Garret doing here?”

Blair looked out his rear view mirror to spot the black van convoy, “I don’t know, but I bet he’s asking the same about you.”

The last of the Kincade convoy, upon instruction drove too close to the Ellison truck, causing it to swerve and be run off the road. The truck ran over some metal, which caused a tire to blow. He had to milk it to the next town. Blair’s team went with him.

Oddly enough Kincade’s team also stopped there.

Jim found the only tire repair place in town and was told it would be finished inside fifteen minutes.

Carolyn looked for a restroom, put out that she had to use the shop’s only one. She wrinkled her nose as she accepted the key.

As Jim headed to the john, he saw Kincade doing part of his documentary. Garret unveiled a cylinder very similar to Jim’s Dorothy and began talking about it.

“How many lives can be spared with the creation of an early warning system….Dot 3 is the answer. The first digital, orthographic telemetry. Inside she has hundreds of these little sensors…..” Kincade picked up the square boxes he had stored inside and showed them to the camera.

Blair saw Jim notice Kincade’s show and called out, “Jim?”

“Sandburg, why didn’t you tell me?” Jim asked as he stomped over to where Kincade was and took a swing at him.

“Hey, hey, hey….” Kincade whined.

“You son of a bitch! What, you think I wouldn’t find out about this?” Jim grabbed the front of Kincade’s shirt, ready to punch him again.

“Get this loser off me,” Kincade demanded from his team.

Two of Kincade’s men stepped in front of their boss as Simon and Joel grabbed Jim and pulled him back and held him as he wiggled, trying to get away.

Kincade then walked toward Jim, “What is your problem, anyway?”

“You stole my design, you son of a bitch!” Jim tore himself out of Simon’s grip.

“What the hell you talking about,” the short man tried to feign innocence.

“Dorothy, you took her, you damn thief!” Jim got right back into Garret’s face.

In a snotty tone, “Oh I get it; you want to take credit for my designs.”

“No! You’re a liar, She was our idea and you know it,” Jim growled right in Kincade’s weasel of a face.

“Unrealized idea, unrealized.” Kincade stepped back with a superior attitude.

Jim took another swing as Brown let loose of his arm on purpose.

Blair ran over to stop the fight from becoming bloodshed. “My guys, get a grip,” then to Jim, “We both know he’ll never get that thing into the air.”

Smugly, Kincade looked at his ex-partners, “Let me enlighten you, this baby has satellite comm-link and on board Doppler, so stick around,” then he directed his last comment to Jim alone, “The days of sniffing the dirt are over.”

“We’ll see who gets there first.” Jim was near rabid.

Kincade was still riding his high horse. In the most condescending voice yet, “Oh, by the way, I really enjoy your weather reports.” Laughter by Kincade’s team pissed off all of Blair’s team.

Jim ran at Kincade again, both teams scuffled a bit before Simon and Blair really tried to break them up. First, they made sure that Kincade sported a black eye.

Rafe hollered out, “They’re just corporate kissbuttts,” as the two groups were truly separated.

Jim stalked off and Blair hurried after Jim, “I’m sorry, I should have told you.” Blair looked at his best friend beseechingly.

Jim looked down at Blair’s earnest face, “One day. I’ll give one day, whether she flies or not, I’m gone.”

Blair nodded, then noticed Carolyn coming and he headed to the coffee shop to order coffees for the entire team.

Carolyn looked about, noticed that Jim looked pissed and asked if anything was wrong. Jim shook his head and sent her in for sodas for the two of them.

Garrett intercepted Blair inside, “Blair, I don’t know what the problem is with Ellison, he’s a wacko, he’s crazy. You outta keep a leash on him”

Blair couldn’t believe it, Kincade was trying to smooze him, “He’s not my problem, he’s yours.”

“Oh, by the way, this storm is gonna be bigger than we anticipated, getting reports about active cells from Grand County to Logan.”

Wide-eyed in wonder, “Sharing information with me?”

“Nah, just curious which way you gonna head.”

Blair kept his expression innocent as he drawled out, “South east………to the counter.”

Kincade laughed insincerely as he watched Blair walk away.

Carolyn ordered two sodas as Blair came up along side her.

Blair spoke aloud, “Nothing changes.”

“Pardon me,” she asked.

Pointing to Kincade, “He’s going to wait to see what Jim does.”

Puzzled, “That man is waiting for Jimmy…why?”

Blair explained that in the past they worked as a team and Jim was the anchor.

“You’re telling me that Jimmy knows what a storm is thinking?” This guy’s nuts, were the echo of her thoughts. Carolyn really disliked him.

Blair smiled, “Something like that, Aunt Meg called him a human barometer.”

“Well, he hasn’t told me about all this.” Caro couldn’t stand it, “You love him, don’t you, you perv, and this is all some set up to get him back here? It won’t work. He left you and only your shenanigans has him back here at all. He didn’t even want to see you.”

Blair ignored her and put money down for his order and left the shop.

Jim Ellison stood outside looking at the sky, smelling the air. His senses hadn’t been this sharp in a long while.

He felt the air currents shift and change as the odor permeating air about changed, signaling that a big change about to happen. Jim played with the dirt, sniffed it, then it drift slowly as he let it slip through his fingers, he smiled to himself

Brown came up along side him, looking expectantly. Jim turned to Brown, “Going green.”

“We’re on….green it is, Boss.” He ran to start his engine as he yelled out to the rest of the team, “We’re going. Jim said.”

The team had worked with Jim before and when he wanted to move, no one stopped to ask, they just got it in gear.

Carolyn joined him as he turned away, “Honey, you follow the Dustman, you’ll be safe back there. I’m driving lead with Sandburg.” He ran toward the yellow truck, “Let’s move out people, let’s go.”

Blair ran out and Jim grabbed the truck keys, “I’m driving.”

Blair handed them over, smiling at how good it felt to have Jim at the helm again.

Kincade watched from the coffee shop and saw that Blair’s team was on the move so they packed up and followed.

The convoy moved down the road, excited to be on the move, chasing a storm.

Driving to a storm with Blair beside him felt so incredibly normal. Jim couldn’t shake how right it was, senses back online, sharper than ever. That was because of Blair, he knew it. Blair was the guide, his senses lived for Blair.

Jim could remember how impossible he thought it was that a storm chaser could solve the riddle of his erratic senses. Little did he know that the meteorologist was also an anthropologist. An anthropologist that knew about and studied sentinels. It was a mental relief to know that he wasn’t insane or the freak his father always thought he was.

Blair trained him to use them and they worked as a team in creating some ground breaking methods in the forecast reading of twisters. They worked with Kincade for a year before he deserted them for the big bucks.

Slowly, on a daily basis, Jim found himself falling in love with the quirky, unorthodox anthropological storm chaser.

Sandburg had kept notes on his senses, he’d made Jim the topic of his doctoral thesis. After a while Jim hated it. Being the object of such intense observation, for science, not love.

Jim admitted to himself with a rueful inner voice, how surprised he had been to discover that Blair loved him equally strong in return. That first year of their complete relationship was magic.

Then the problems began, Jim realized that he was hopelessly in love, so the fears and insecurities set in as soon as he became aware how important Blair had become.

Then the daily storm chaser obsession of tornadoes brought home how easy it would be to lose him. Twice, already, just due to a twist of fate in saving him, or Blair would have been swept away.

Jim had sustained too much loss in his life to open himself up to more. The desertion of his mother, the rejection from his father set the tone in childhood. The loss of his Ranger team in Peru. His brother’s constant snubbing. All who Jim loved, left him. Blair would, too.

So, Jim began to withdraw and that affected all that they were. The F-4 just over a year ago, broke them. Blair had essentially drowned and he wanted them out. He had wanted Blair to choose. And, looking back, honestly, Blair probably would have chosen him, but the dissertation interfered.

The only time he had ever seen Blair’s mother, Naomi, was at that time. She wanted Blair to forsake tornadoes and be an anthropologist. She leaked Blair’s publication to the press and all hell broke loose. Jim sighed to himself, he knew that in his fear he blamed Blair and left him to collect his millions.

He was still surprised to this day at what Blair had done. When he saw the tape of the press conference, Blair denouncing himself and all he was…….. Blair had gone back into the field, exclusively a meteorologist. He’d forsaken his doctorate in anthropology and that whole part of him.

Jim hadn’t even called.

Jim shook himself out of his reverie, maybe he’d been a fool. He had a new life now. So be it.

Jim turned his head as he heard Blair comment.

“Great sky, ….cloud tops spiking at 40,000.”

“Yeah.”

“She seems nice. So you meet her at the station?”

“I don’t want to fight…” Jim responded with.

“Who’s fighting?” Blair looked blank as he shrugged.

Shaking his head in a negative manner, “I don’t want to do this….”

“Jim, I just want you to be happy.” Blair was sincere.

“I am happy.” Jim sounded defiant.

The others listened in as they were still on wide band. Joel and Megan, in the second car laughed at the old-time feeling their arguing wrought.

Joel said, “They still argue like an old married couple.”

Megan pondered aloud, “So how do we get them back together?”

Joel pointed to the skyline and grabbed the radio, “Hey, you guys gonna wrap this up pretty soon?”

Jim grabbed the radio as he realized that the crew was listening to their argument, “What?” He hollered.

“Oh, just wondering if you plan on chasing this storm today or just wanna wait for the next one,” Megan sassed.

“Oh, shit,” Jim looked out to the tornado as it touched down, he wrenched the truck left onto a small dirt road and headed into the storm.

Kincade’s team had followed Blair’s and was well behind them when the driver, Eddie, noticed the tire tracks heading east. Kincade motioned to follow.

The storm chasers watched as the twister ripped a barn apart and took off the adjacent house’s roof.

Jim and Blair argued as they chased the twister. They both knew that they needed to get in front of storm to place the Dorothy. Blair pointed out a ditch that could take them to an intercept point. Reluctantly, Jim pushed the truck into the trench.

They were on a straight course until the channel narrowed and made driving near impossible. Jim growled at Blair as he fought the steering wheel for control.

“She’s heading three miles southeast,” Simon relayed.

“Jim, Blair, where are you? We lost visual.” Joel radioed. “Anyone else got them?”

A chorus of noes came back at his query.

Rafe relayed, “It’s sinking, Blair, coming straight at you.”

Blair looked out the back window, “Jim, it’s starting to turn.”

“Where? I don’t see it.” Jim looked in front of him.

“You will.” Blair assured him as he pointed to just about right in front of them.

The ditch was too steep by then and they had no option but to crash into a bridge that seemed to just be there. Which they did, …with considerable force.

Blair wanted to set up Dorothy 1, but Jim pulled him away, “What are you doing?” He needed to get Blair to safety.

“Come on.” Blair cried as he tried to hop up on the back of the truck.

Jim ran to get him, “Why can’t we spend a normal day together?” He dragged Blair away.

Blair fought him, yelling, “Come on we can still do it.”

“This is crazy.”

“No, we can, we can do it.” Blair still tried to get out of Jim’s hold.

Jim used his strength and pulled Blair with him. He then dragged Blair under bridge, “Grab hold of something.”

Blair nodded, then he crawled behind Jim to see out from under the bridge. Jim grabbed him back and covered him with his body. He couldn’t let Blair get hurt. He couldn’t live with that.

The tunnel of wind sucked up everything in its path. The tractor on top of the bridge flew into the air as if it were a Tonka toy. The wind batted and buffeted the bridge and sucked up all around it. Blair and Jim held fast together and held onto the beams that remained behind.

Finally, the air around them quieted and Jim announced needlessly, “It’s gone.”

Blair looked out after Jim moved off him. Puzzled, “Where’s my truck?”

They both looked to an open area where the truck had been before.

Back on the main road that the team was still traveling on, the truck appeared from above before them as it hit the ground with considerable force. It hit right in front of Carolyn. She screamed as she swerved to miss it.

“There it is,” Blair noted.

Jim watched the truck hit and his red truck maneuver around it. He got up and ran to his fiancée.

Brown and Banks stopped their vehicles immediately and hurried to her, getting there first.

Brown told her, “You, you were awesome, babe!”

Simon helped her out with a quiet, “Are you okay?”

She just screamed until Jim reached her. He asked, “You okay?”

She hugged him as she said, “Yes,” and she hugged him closer.

H sauntered up to Blair, “So how was it?”

Blair answered absentmindedly as he picked his belongings out of the totaled truck. “Windy.”

The dustman shook his head as he repeated, “Windy?” Blair was amazing to him, never seeming to fear the twisters

Blair looked at his truck sadly, “It’s trashed.”

Simon stepped over to check on Blair. “We’ll get number two up, don’t worry.”

Kincade’s team drove by at that moment. The leader motioned his driver to continue without stopping. They never checked on the condition of anyone surrounding the totaled truck. Half the team yelled obscenities at the passing convoy.

“What assholes.” Blair heard as he watched the black vans pass on by, then he turned to Jim, pointing to his red truck and asked, “You have full coverage?”

“Liability only.”

The storm chaser looked spectively at the red truck. “Liability only? Very pretty truck.”

“Don’t even think about it no way,” Jim shook his head. “No way!”

\-------

“This is the caboose…I’m waiting for orders, Boss.”

They both reached for the radio. Blair backed off, “You go ahead, this is your truck,” he said from the passenger seat.

Jim backed off also, “No, this is your team.”

Blair grabbed the mic, “H, the battle zone should be northeast of the 81.”

Carolyn couldn’t believe that they weren’t returning home. “The battle zone? Jimmy, what are you doing?”

“Going again.”

“But you almost got killed back there,” She almost whined.

“No, that was only a close call.” Jim assured her.

Rafe called in, “You’re gonna cross 15 at Oklahoma 4 1 2, got that? Four, one, two.”

Blair answered, “Copy that. Megan, what’s the cell read?”

“B-I-L’s are at sixty,” the Aussie came back with.

After checking with Jim and getting his nod, “Okay guys, let’s go get it.”

They raced across the plateau, listening to Rafe’s directions.

At a right angle to Blair’s team, Kincade’s convoy moved away from the dancing storm.

Blair looked to Jim, “Should we catch up to Kincade?”

Jim looked at the twister, almost zoning on it, Blair rubbed his arm and Jim announced excitedly, “Look at the updraft. The angle, it’s gonna shift its track.”

“Are you sure?” Blair asked for confirmation from the sentinel.

“Oh, yes, I’m sure, it’s definitely a Sidewinder. Wasn’t there a little road….”

“Yeah, go, go, go.”

Jim backed up the truck in high gear then turned a hard right into the storm just as it shifted its track as Jim predicted.

The rain started falling, easy at first, then harder and harder. The team started sending their reports.

Daryl said, “Shifting due south.”

Joel added, “It looks like it’s touched the ground. Yup, it’s touched the ground.”

Megan said excitedly, “It looks like it’s turning, atmosphere is very unstable. I repeat, unstable”

“This is Rafe, it’s at 2 o’clock and it’s headed this way.”

Simon broadcasted wideband, “This is Simon and we are headed due east on a country road for about six miles. We have an F- 3 sitting on the ground and she’s a beauty.”

“Blair, this is Brown, it’s on the ground, but it won’t be hanging out long.”

“We got it. We got it.” Blair told his team.

\----

Kincade barked, “Is the twister headed for us?”

One of his team in a different van answered, “No, sir, seems to have jumped off this vector.”

Another member added, “Looks like Blair’s team will intercept.”

Kincade slammed his hand on the dashboard and yelled, “Damn,” into the mic.

\-------

The rain was pelting them, making it hard to see a foot in front of them. Jim picked up the radio, “We’re getting slammed in here, guys. You’d better pull back.”

Blair looked out and said aloud, “Rain bands, look at the surf coming off the field.”

“Shit, horizontal rain, hang on.” He drove straight into it.

“Jesus, Jim, I’ve never seen clouds like this.”

“I don’t think anybody has,” Jim said, astonished, “Shit, it’s quiet.”

“Jim, we’re in the core.”

They watched as the twister divided in two over the river.

Jim said aloud in wonder, “We’ve got sisters.”

Carolyn’s cellphone rang and she got it on the first ring, “Jamie, I really can’t talk right now.”

Blair was still giving information to Jim, “We’re running into the flanking line.”

“I realize that,” Jim assured him.

“We can’t attack this thing from the south, we’ll get rolled.”

“Watch me.” Jim drove steady and sure into the eye. As the water pelted and the wind whipped, a cow flew by

Blair pointed, “Cow.”

Carolyn said into the phone, “I gotta go. We have cows.” She closed her phone.

Blair said again, “Another cow.”

Jim almost smiled, “No, I actually think that is the same cow. We got draggers here, we got no path.”

“This isn’t good. Jim, you have to get us outta here.”

“I’m trying, Sandburg.”

Jim stopped the truck as they became surrounded by the sisters. The truck was buffeted a bit by the wind velocity, but it stayed put. They were watching the twister break yet again into thirds.

Blair smiled and turned his excited face to Jim. Jim couldn’t help but return the excited grin, god, he had missed this. And, truth be told to himself, he missed Blair, too.

Carolyn alone was screaming, unnoticed by the front seat occupants.

The twister moved away back over the river. It twirled and the vanished as if it never was. The two meteorologists jumped out of the truck. They hugged in excitement the pointed into the sky where they last saw it.

Blair bounced and Jim was almost lost in the memory. That was the fist time he’d seen Blair bounce since he got here. “That was incredible.”

Blair nodded, looking very much to Jim as he did after a spectacular orgasm. Jim remembered too vividly and his body began reacting. The screaming from behind him forced him to shift gears.

Carolyn emerged from the truck shaken and near hysterical.

Jim noticed, leaving Blair and went to her side. “It’s okay, Honey.” He hugged her as he looked to Blair’s back.

Caro shook her head negatively, “No, I’m not okay. This is not okay. Okay?”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” He held her close.

She pulled back, telling him shakily, “You know, when you use to say you chased tornadoes, deep down I always just thought it was a metaphor.”

Jim continued to hug her as the rest of the team gathered around Blair.

“Wow, that was incredible,” Blair’s face shone with excitement.

Daryl was on his first foray into the heavy storms, “That was a biggie. Maybe we should get the hell out of here? This could get dangerous.”

“Are you kidding? This thing’s not over. We’ve only seen the start of it.” Blair fiddled with the Doppler antenna.

Rafe and Brown looked at each other with a gleam in their eye then looked innocently at their boss, Rafe said, “Blair, we couldn’t help but notice how close we are to Wakita.”

“No.” Blair stated firmly.

“Yeah,” Joel added, “And Aunt Meg wouldn’t mind a pit stop from us. She loves us.”

“No!” Blair was emphatic.

Brown perked up, “Red meat…..We crave sustenance.”

Blair stood above the group, shaking his head, “Guys, we are not invading my aunt.”

A chant began, “Food, food, food,” then it grew louder as the whole crew joined in.

“Hey, we are absolutely not going,” he said into the chanting horde resolutely.

\------

The swirling metal art objects were like welcoming pinwheels as the storm chasers pulled up in front of Blair’s Aunt Meg’s house.

Blair had been outvoted seven to one. Carolyn abstained.

Aunt Meg greeted the horde willingly. She loved Blair and she loved Blair’s team. After Blair entered school back here in the states, his mother, Naomi, said she couldn’t handle the memories and spent most her time abroad. Her sister, Meg, was left with the responsibility of being there for a bewildered young teen. She had been there for him ever since. Adopted all he had brought home. The storm chasers of the last five years, the best yet.

As they parked she noticed a missed face, “Jimmy!” She yelled out as she waved to the long missed man.

Jim jumped out of the truck, “Meg!” he greeted back warmly. He remembered Carolyn, turned back to her and helped her out of the car. He jogged straight to Meg and hugged her, “How are you?”

She hugged him back hard, “It’s so good to see you… I’ve missed you.”

Blair came up behind her smiling at the hug she was giving Jim.

She caught him out of the corner of her eye, “Blair! Hey, Sweetie.” She hugged him next.

Blair grinned, “You should have seen it!” He followed Jim inside.

Then the rest of the group greeted Meg with hugs and kisses. Meg smiled,” Hey, Boys!” and she grinned at Megan, who considered it a compliment

Meg cooked the group a full on major dinner. Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried eggs, four frying pans at a time.

Seven people sat around the table, passing food or being served by Blair and Meg. Jim was upstairs taking a shower.

The table chatter was just ramblings, sharing different information with the newbie. The morning had been exciting with even more to follow and their conversations reflected that.

Rafe commented, “In a severe lightening storm, you want to grab your ankles and stick your butt in the air.”

Megan nodded earnestly, “He’s right, if you’re gonna get hit, it’s the safest orifice.”

Brown nodded as he stuffed more food in his mouth, “Yeah, I’d like to get hit by lightening once, just to see what it’s like.”

Carolyn looked on, bewildered.

Daryl exclaimed, “Hey, Meg, this is real lemonade. Can I move in?”

Rafe commented to Meg, “Hey, Meg, you got a lot of beef. Where’d you get all this beef?”

She asked, “Did you see my cows outside?”

Rafe pause a second, thinking, “No.”

“Oh, oh……” Meg said, eyes big and round as she giggled.

Rafe grinned in understanding as Brown said, “You slaughter your own cows, Meg, nice.”

A full serving of food was put on a plate in front of Carolyn. Simon had made a place for her next to him. “Get the gravy first, it’s the best ever …like it’s its own food group.” He ladled two scoops onto her plate.

Blair helped serve out the next batch of food as Jim came down the stairs clean.

“Shower’s free.” He exclaimed.

“I’m next,” Blair said as he tried to finish up what was on his plate.

Meg handed a full plate to Jim.

They all saw Kincade on TV and they all paused, staring. Jim turned it up.

Interviewer asked, “Why do you like to chase tornadoes?”

Kincade smiled directly into the camera, “For me, it’s the thrill of the thing.”

“Can you predict tornadoes?” the interviewer asked.

“No, no, they are very, very unpredictable as some of my more unfortunate colleges found out earlier today. But we hope to change all that with a system I devised…………..” he droned on.

“Turn him off,” Megan said, disgusted.

“God, he sucks,” Brown shook his head.

“Boo,” Daryl chimed in.

“Shut up!” Rafe commanded the TV screen.

“Turn him off,” Blair said as he turned from the screen.

“What a wiener,” Jim added, smiling at Blair.

“He really is in love with himself, I thought it was just a summer thing,” Blair said, returning Jim’s smile as he took a last mouthful of mashed potatoes and gravy.

He put his plate down and Jim watched him head up the stairs. Jim refocused on the team and eating.

“Dude, he’s gonna rue the day, rue the day he went against the extreme.” Brown was working up to the story.

“Hear, hear.” Several chimed

“Imminent ruage,” Brown continued.

Jim smiled, embarrassed.

Carolyn asked, “Why do you call Jimmy, the extreme?”

“Because Jimmy is the extreme.” Simon smiled.

Brown waved his hands, Rafe whispered to Daryl, “Listen, Brown loves telling this.”

“He drove out into the middle of the twister. He gets out of car…naked!” Brown laughed.

“Butt naked.” Joel agreed

Jim shook his head, “Not naked.”

“Yes, naked!” The chorus exclaimed.

“Blair was filming the twister. The only one then with guts enough to get out in it. Jim drove up and got out naked, said his skin hurt. The he grabbed our leader and dragged Blair out of the suck zone. Blair fought him, said that he had to have it for his Ph.D. Jim goes back in and stayed just a hair in front of twister, filming the whole time. Said Blair couldn’t die. The Extreme!”

Jim smiled as he looked at the group, then at Carolyn, “Honey, this is a tissue of lies, see there was another Jim, an evil Jim and I killed him.”

“Oh, I love it! Brown yelled out loud.

“Woohoo!”

“Oh, yeah!”

Carolyn looked at them all, bewildered by this side of Jim.

Blair looked down at the scene in Meg’s dining room, just like old times. He couldn’t believe how much he still loved Jim. He closed the door behind him and turned on the water full blast. He wanted the water to pelt him in an effort to forget showers in this very bathroom that they taken together.

Jim soaping his ass, finger playing, searching, stretching. Jim lifting him up and impaling him with his feet dangling off the ground. Blair moaned in remembrance. Jim’d had all the control and he had worked Blair until he was a quivering mass of jello, begging for release.

Blair had known later that there was no way Meg could have missed the primal screams of delight in their simultaneous orgasms.

So many memories. Now, he was here with that bitch. She sure didn’t like him, but Blair really didn’t care. Jim had been all his on that bridge after the sisters. Jim still felt this in his blood. He had brought Jim back from two mini zones and no one the wiser; maybe he still had him in his blood, too?

Blair conditioned his hair and was combing it out when Meg knocked and entered the room.

“You okay?” She asked.

In a weak moment of truth, “I still love him.”

“You always did.” She smiled knowingly. “You were both scared before, but he’s here now.”

“He’s has Carolyn.”

“She hasn’t got his heart, you still have that.” Meg rubbed his back.

Blair only wished that were true. They headed down the stairs together. The group was still chattering on. Blair paused to gather his thoughts as Meg joined the group.

“That was a good twister, F-3, maybe.” Megan supplied.

“No, a solid F-2,” Jim corrected.

Carolyn tilted her head to the side, “Now you lost me again,” Carolyn told them.

“The Fujita Scale, measures the intensity of a twister by how much it eats,” Jim clarified.

“Eats?” she queried.

Jim’s face turned serious, “Destroys,” he simplified.

“Bet we see some F-4’s,” Daryl dreamed aloud.

“That would be sweet.” Rafe agreed.

Jim nodded, “F-4 is good, it would relocate your house with winds up to 260 mph.”

Carolyn asked in innocence, “Is there an F-5?”

The team all froze, silent.

“What would that be like,” she asked, not noticing how the rest of the people around her were affected by her question.

“The finger of god.” Simon said it reverently.

Silence again all around.

“None of you have seen an F-5?” Carolyn continued questioning.

Jim, Meg, Simon and Joel all looked to the stairs. Then all of them looked to Jim, “Just one of us,” Jim said softly.

Blair came down stairs the rest of the way.

The TV weather commentators announced they had a special report as Brown yelled out, “We got one baby, an F-3.”

The team scrambled and gathered up their stuff pronto. They worked with synchronized clockwork that came from being together a long time.

On the TV, Kincade was leaving his interview flat as his team also got the twister information. They all headed for their van. Taking off in a cloud of dust.

On Meg’s porch, Jim told Carolyn to ride with the Dustman. He believed she would be safer off the front line. Jim turned to Meg and kissed her goodbye, then hugged her tight. He headed for the truck.

The entire team, one at a time stopped to kiss and hug Meg goodbye.

As Blair ran down the stairs he called out, “You know where Kincade is?”

Simon called back, “Yeah, thirty miles from here.”

“Can we beat him?”

Simon looked to the map man, who nodded an answer to the silent question, “Yeah, I think so.”

Meg handed the brown bag to H as he stopped to hug her. “Just for you.”

Brown took the bag, “Love you, Meg.” He headed to his motorhome.

Blair paused, “Sorry to eat and run, but you know I love you.”

Meg smiled at her nephew, “Go, it’s what you live for.”

Carolyn tried to say thank you but Meg told her to run if she was planning on joining them.

Bows, Meg’s dog, followed her out to wave the storm chasers off. As the wind blew her chimes about, it seemed to push the storm chasers on their way.

Blair got in driver’s seat, and made to grab Jim’s keys as he got close to truck.

He dangled them, “Say please.” Blair just yanked them out of his hand. Jim smiled as he walked around the truck, “You’re welcome.”

Blair called out on the radio, “Rafe?”

“Hang on,” he yelled as he hopped in the vehicle. Waiting for Daryl to get in the truck, he grabbed the maps. He looked at them quickly, then commanded right away, “Let’s go right through Wakita and then we’ll take Mayers road, past the fire station and ..ah…we’ll take 132 to the 44, due east.”

Jim grabbed up the radio as Blair followed the directions, “Rafe, you know any short cuts, you let us know, we need every second.”

They made good time out of town, Blair really pressing it to the metal.

As they left the town far behind, Jim said to Rafe, “Now’s the time to impress me, Mapman.”

“Okay, about a mile up ahead there’s a little detour, we’re gonna take a walk in the woods.” Rafe was smiling to himself, he was getting poetic.

Jim pointed to the dirt road and Blair pulled a sharp right. The convoy did the same close behind the lead vehicle. The road, if you could call it one, was rough and uneven. All drivers and passengers bounced about in the cab of their vehicles.

Jim warned broadband, “Okay, folks, it gets bumpy here.” Then he turned to Blair, “Okay, let’s get you wired.

From the glove compartment, Jim extracted the portable communication gear and worked the wire around Blair’s waist. The scent of Blair filled his senses and awareness tingled through his system. His fingers strayed a bit off course as he brought the wire to the front.

“Sorry.” Jim apologized, hoping that Blair didn’t think he was trying to feel him up.

Blair took a deep breath, he could catch the essence of Jim’s body odor and he loved it. He loved the feel of Jim’s hands on him, even if it was only somewhat impersonal. Whoops, that was nice. Blair hoped Jim was feeling him up.

“Okay, you’re on.” Meaning the radio equipment.

The team communicated between each other, their excitement growing as they chased yet another big storm today. Their camaraderie evident, Jim had missed that, too. The news station was far more impersonal.

Carolyn sat quietly, afraid that she was with mad men.

Jim and Blair looked at each other, at the road and then Jim grabbed the radio again, “Okay, Rafe, what have you got?”

“Okay, Jim turn left here toward that farm.” Rafe directed.

“You sure about that?” Jim questioned.

Rafe looked down at his maps, double checking, “Ah….Yes, trust me, Rafe is good, Rafe is wise.”

At the same time: “Mother of god,” from Blair as Jim uttered, “Jesus Christ.”

They looked at where they were traveling, tall corn stalks were all around them. Jim said, “This is a field, Rafe.”

“Yeah, I know, just keep going beyond it, right through that brush. See that brush right in front of you?”

“Yeah, we see the brush, what’s beyond it?” Jim and Blair asked together.

“Beyond what?” Rafe toyed with them

“Beyond what? ….the brush.” Blair yelled out.

“A brick wall, a bearded lady or what,” Jim complained exasperatedly

“Oh, ah…it’s the highway. The highway.”

Blair grabbed the radio impatiently, “Where’s the road, Rafe?”

Daryl asked the same, “Yeah, where’s the road, man?”

“Should be right there.”

As he finished speaking, the main highway was upon them. Blair had to make an impossible hard right to avoid hitting one of the Kincade convoy. Horns honking, middle fingers raised greeted the late arrivals.

Garrett picked up his radio and barked, “You’re insane, Blair. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Blair, still incensed at Kincade’s callus treatment when his truck was totaled, picked up the mic, “Oh like you should talk. It was really nice of you man, to stop back there and make sure we were all right.”

Jim grabbed the mic, pointed to the road, “Drive, Chief. Let’s keep this channel clear.”

Blair was stunned, so he kept his eyes on the road. Chief. He hadn’t heard that in almost a year and a half. Who’d a thought that one word could choke him up so.

Jim didn’t notice the effect the nickname had on his partner as he was studying the clouds before him. He rolled down the window a crack to get a better sniff. He felt the change, the shift.

“We’re going to have to get off of this road.” Jim told Blair.

Bewildered, “What? This is no time to guess.”

I’m not guessing. Turn here.”

Blair didn’t argue further, he knew that sentinel look. His Sentinel’s look. He turned right. His team followed.

In Kincade’s van, Eddie asked, “Do we follow?”

“We do not.”

Rafe looked to Daryl. Daryl asked, “What’s he doing?”

Rafe shrugged, “I don’t know.” He picked up several maps, “I’ll have to find this road, it’s like Bob’s road.”

Simon radioed, “We have a touchdown, It’s on route 33.”

Megan slapped Joel in glee as they listened in.

Jim said, “Chief, we’re on 33.”

Into the radio, Blair asked, “What’s the path?”

“It’s going thirty five miles per hour.”

Jim looked around him, “Where is it?”

“North, northeast, you copy?”

Jim looked out, “Shit, it’s coming right at us.”

“Lines are vertical, it’s really gaining strength.” Joel radioed.

Blair asked Jim, “Do you see it?” He knew his sentinel could feel it, but the team needed to see it.

Jim shook his head, eyes out, “No.” He took the mic, “Simon, Joel, we don’t have a visual, repeat, we do not have a visual. Help us out here.” All they saw was a darkened sky.

Simon came back with awe in his voice, “Yeah, I got it, Jimmy. It’s the best motion they have ever seen. It’s like a piece of the sky, it’s over a half mile wide.”

Rafe clarified, “We going east on the 7, it should be coming over that hill in a matter of minutes.” The hill was just to the left in front of them.

Blair was unsure, “Maybe it stalled?”

Jim sniffed the air, “No, I think Rafe is right. We’re going to see it’s ugly mug right over that hill.” He turned his head to watch Blair, “So, Chief, what do you think?”

The whole team waited for his answer.

“Time for deployment, guys, let’s do it.” Blair directed.

Brown turned to Carolyn and said, “Now, this is the fun part.”

Hail began pelting the truck. Both members of the lead truck called out together, “We’ve got hail.”

The team pulled off the road and began setting up the equipment. Soaked by rain, the meteorologist team was in their element. They had the Doppler going, the computers running and the communication accouterments set and waiting. This way they could hear all that the lead duo were doing.

“Megan, we have upflow. Jim, this is it.” Blair said all aloud, knowing the team could get it.

Jim nodded his agreement, “I’ll get her ready.” He climbed through the back window, trying to keep his face from being hit by hail. He turned on the Dorothy 2 and secured her straps. He waited until he heard her beeps, then slipped back into the cab.

Back at the encampment, the scientists watched the satellite intel on their computers.

Joel asked, “We got a view?”

“Yes! It’s not a moon blip, it’d like a space station.” Simon announced. Usually the twister was just a small circle on the screen, but the storm before them took up the whole screen.

Objects tossed by the wind were being blown into the truck. Blair announced, “We’ve got debris.”

Brown had the camera up and set. He looked through the viewfinder and said happily, “They’re in the bear cage.”

Carolyn stood next to him trying to hold the umbrella still.

“Carolyn, look at this. Take a peek.” Trying to share the magnitude of the storm with her.

She shook her head, “No, I don’t want to. No.”

“What’s the matter?” H asked, concerned.

Carolyn spit out, “You people are all nuts.” Hearing Blair’s voice, she added, “And he’s the craziest one of them all.”

Boats were flying by, tools of all sorts littered the air.

Jim wanted Blair to slow, “This is fine.”

“No, we’ve got to get closer.” Blair finally stopped the truck.

“Hurry, get the tail gate,” Jim pointed as he ran up to it, also.

“You got her?

“Yeah, she’s all set, hurry.”

“Let’s go.”

They work at getting her released. They worked the strap, but it stuck. Jim kept trying until he saw the explosion just up ahead. “We gotta go now, come on.”

Blair continues trying, “No, we can do this.”

“It’s stuck, Chief.”

Then the sky around them lit up and the electrical lines were hit, sparks went everywhere, Jim tried to shield Blair, but Blair still trying to get Dorothy unstuck. He was relentless in his endeavor.

Jim saw the lightening strike the telephone pole and pulled Blair out of the way of the falling beam and electrical wires. The pole hit the truckbed and knocked the machine off onto its side. The lid opened and the sensor balls fell everywhere.

Jim pulled Blair even further away. Then the twister funnel dissolved and they stared at the sky.

“Where is it?” Jim asked, incredulous.

The stationary team asked themselves the same thing.

“What’s the Doppler say?” Asked Joel as he kept his binoculars trained on the team leaders.

Simon waved them silent, pointing above them, he explained, “The cone of silence.”

They radioed the duo.

“It’s gone, it was stable but now it’s gone.” Brown said over the mic.

In the field, the partners disagreed. Blair moved in a tight three hundred degree circle. “Jim, it’s not done.”

Jim nodded, “Chief, it’s back building.”

Blair knew Jim was right, “You’re right, it’s back building….we got a jumper here.”

“Simon, we got a backbuilder here…you gotta track it.” Jim ordered.

“Data is incomplete….I think you guys should get out of there.” Voices overlapped in their concern.

Carolyn looked worried. She didn’t know what was happening, and now, even the team thought it was dangerous.

“Jim, help me…” Blair bent over and started picking up the sensors, “Help me,” practically begging.

Jim sniffed the air, “We should leave.”

“No, help me,” Blair didn’t even look up, just kept trying to collect the fallen sensors.

Jim felt the hair on his neck stand on end, “We gotta get out of here, now.”

He dragged Blair to the truck and just about threw him in. Jim ran to the driver’s side and got the truck going. Blair kept murmuring that they should go back, that it wasn’t too late. Jim ignored it and backed up the truck fast, hitting the Dorothy as he passed it.

Blair begged him to stop.

Jim stopped at a safe distance away to watch. Blair caught him by surprise as he jumped out and tried to collect more balls again.

Frustrated, Jim yelled, “The pact is wasted.”

“What’s wrong with you, we can still do this.” Blair was like a maniac.

Jim stood still, only shaking his head, “Chief, listen to yourself… you’re obsessed.”

Blair was mad, he stood and yelled into the wind, “You don’t know what they can do…”

Jim tried to pull Blair back to the truck, but Blair hauled off and hit him in the chest. He then pushed him away.

“You’ve never seen it miss this house and miss that house and come after you…”

“Christ, Blair…is that what you think happened?” Pieces started falling into place.

Blair turned away, disappointed, “You just don’t know, you’ll never know.”

“Chief, Blair, the twister took your dad. I’m sorry. Your mom freaked out and practically left you alone. But trying to kill yourself won’t bring them back. It won’t change the past. Damn, you have to live in the now….take all you can get. Don’t throw it away. I just learned that. Look around you, you have lots of people who love you. Stop running away. I’m stopping and you should, too.”

Blair thought he caught something important, “What are you saying?”

“Me, Blair, you’ve got me. I’m back if you want me, but I think you’ve run from this more than I have,” Jim turned away back to the truck. Rain pouring over both men.

Back at the camp, all their words came through strong and clear. Brown felt sorry for Carolyn. To hear all that. At that moment he admired her strength of character. She stood straight and silent. It was hard to see the tears through all the rain that hit their faces.

\-----------

The sun was just closing behind the hill as the convoy made their way into the two-bit town of Renfrow. Blair rented a couple of motel rooms so the team could clean up. Jim and Carolyn got their own room. Carolyn waited inside, watching TV, as Jim went in search of food.

Again in the shower, Blair let his mind wander. Jim thought he had run away emotionally. That was rich from Mr. Repression, himself. Could it be true, Blair asked himself? No, he had proven himself, he had put Jim before him. He knew that he had spent hours, days, weeks after Jim left going over all this. He had been set to choose Jim.

The near drowning had shook Jim, he knew that, but was it possible that he too, like Jim, distanced himself. It didn’t matter now, all he knew was that losing Jim was like losing a part of himself.

The other thing that Jim had said was obsession. Maybe, but with Jim here, he’d put it aside again.

Clean and dry, hunger and thirst needed to be quenched. Blair headed to the town’s only fast food eatery for some take out.

Jim watched Blair cross the town center. When Blair looked up, Jim looked away only to be drawn back to the man that seemed couldn’t be replaced in his affections. They played furtive look tag until Blair reached the take out window.

Blair ordered.

Jim found he just had to be near him. He wouldn’t press Blair for a decision, but he just needed to be close. He stepped up behind him and placed an order. “Two special’s.”

“It’ll be a couple of minutes, “ the young girl behind the counter told him.

While he waited, he decided to talk shop. Blair would never refuse to do that. “Chief, I’ve been thinking about the sensors….the way they scattered out there on the highway. I’m starting to wonder if the funnel will carry them like we thought.”

Ever the scientist, Blair pushed aside his personal thoughts. “Too light?”

“I don’t know, maybe the whole thing is too light.”

Blair nodded, understanding immediately what Jim was driving at. “What can we do?”

Jim shrugged with his face, “I’m not sure, Chief?”

Simon, Joel and Megan sat watching the pirated cable that Brown procured. The announcer was discussing the latest storm.

“The two cells look to be converging, this could mean….” Then the cable buzzed out.

Jim stepped out into the quad center and cocked his head to the side. He focused his senses outward.

Blair feared a zone out and rushed to his side. He placed his hand at the small of the sentinel’s back, grounding him.

Lightening spiked the night sky, illuminating the darker than normal storm clouds.

Joel rushed out telling, “It’s coming! It’s heading right for us.”

Jim refocused, “It’s already here.” He ran towards the townsfolk, “Everybody underground, now!” He ran to the small drive-in theater, “Twister. Get underground. Go now!”

All the people ran for the underground shelters quickly, but not panicked. This had happened before, the town was prepared.

Carolyn ran out of the motel, “Jimmy.”

Jim ran to her, “Come on.” He ran with her to the service garage.” He opened the doors as Simon and Joel joined him and helped get the rest of the team in. Blair was still out there.

Jim stepped back out and called, “Blair, Blair.”

Blair was still standing in the quad, watching the wind swirl. Then he added his voice as he tapped on the eatery window.” Go now!” He waved his arms to the town shelter.

Jim handed Carolyn to Simon and went back out for Blair. “Blair, come on.” Jim voice was urgent. He finally grabbed on to his friend and dragged him inside. Jim looked the service bay over and commanded, “Down into the pit.”

The nine people huddled in the corner furthest from the window. The wind rippled shingles and whipped the smaller stiff about. Then the gale force winds followed and shattered windows, spewing glass everywhere. Doors were ripped off and flung wide, larger objects were blown through the open doorways and windows. The tin sidings were shaken and the rattled loudly. The noise was deafening.

Ever the guide, Blair whispered close to Jim’s ear, “Dial it down, Jim.”

Jim responded automatically to the guide’s direction.

Staying calm, Joel covered Megan, Jim covered Carolyn as he wedged Blair to the wall. The other team members, well used to such situations, just kept the faces covered.

The wind sent objects whirling close to the storm chaser’s heads. Small stuff dropped all around them. A hose was sheared and danced about like a snake. Simon and Brown tried to snag it just as a hubcap whizzed by. The metal frisbee struck Simon in the head.

Blair squeezed past Jim’s protective arm to aid Simon. “You’re okay, let’s just sit back.” He covered the bleeding cut on the dark man’s forehead as he pulled him back to the wall.

Carolyn yelled above the wind, “This is insane.” The wind intensified and the storm novice screamed and continued to do so until the winds subsided.

The others just watched in wonder as mother nature cut loose ferociously. Then as quickly as it started, the twister was gone. The silence was eerie after so much sound.

The townsfolk emerged unhurt to survey the damage. Blair’s team exited the shop doing the same. The motel stood, the drive-in was gone. Half the coffee shop was gone and the fast food place stood untouched. Sirens could be heard arriving.

Carolyn asked Simon, “Is that what it was like up on that hill?”

The oldest storm chaser shook his head, “No, here, we were lucky. Those were just down drafts and microbursts. The tornado just sideswiped us.”

Brown went to check on his motorhome and was amazed to see his NSSL connection still up and running. He watched the storm map and graphics in horror. An F-4 predicted. Winds up to two hundred sixty miles per hour.

Blair could hear the report. Suddenly worried, he asked Brown, “Can you tell which way it’s headed?”

Brown looked askance, he already knew, with sad eyes he said, “It’s set to hit Wakita head on.”

Blair was stunned; Aunt Meg. “We’re going.” He ran to get his things.

Jim overheard and called out, “I’m driving.”

The team was already moving, gathering the stuff they’d need.

Blair searched his stuff, “Phone. I need a phone.”

Simon shook his head, “The phone lines are down. I already checked.”

Rafe supplied, “We can jump on the 38 exchange and cross highway 132. We can be there in an hour.”

Blair nodded, thoughts already to where they were going.

Jim turned to Carolyn, “Honey, it’s Meg.”

“I’m going back,” Carolyn said with little expression on her face.

Jim nodded, “Good, you’ll be safe at the motel. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I won’t be there.”

Perplexed, “What? Why? What are you saying?”

Carolyn looked adamant, “I’m saying goodbye. I can’t compete with this. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Don’t do this now.”

Carolyn shook her head, “Sooner or later we would have ended it. We both know that. The funny thing is, I’m not that upset. What’s that mean?”

Brown yelled out, “Let’s go, Jim.”

Jim looked at her with remorse, “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“I know, Jimmy.” She handed him back his ring.

Simon yelled out, “Jim, come on.”

Carolyn waved him away with her fingers, “You go ahead. I hope that Meg’s okay.”

“What about you?” Jim asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I know my way home.” She turned and walked away without looking back.

Jim felt bad, but knew she was right. He looked for Blair.

Blair watched Jim with Carolyn, not sure until he turned toward them that he was going.

The vehicles assembled and Rafe radioed, “We can be in Wakita in about an hour.” Jim drove lead.

Fifty-one minutes later they entered the Wakita township. The welcome sign was wedged into a tree trunk. The devastation was prolific. Most people seemed okay, bruised with minor cuts or broken bones but the properties were almost a total loss.

Memories shifted within Blair, he whispered aloud, “They had no warning.” His voice was lost and forlorn.

Jim monitored his guide’s heartbeat.

They stopped in front of Meg’s house. It was half collapsed. Blair jumped out of the truck before it stopped, “Meg,” he called out running.

Jim yelled after his guide, “Blair, wait. The rest of the house could collapse at anytime.” He was worried that Blair would get hurt just dashing inside. He followed.

Blair made his way up the chunks of debris to the second story window that was now at ground level. He crawled inside the window.

“Blair, wait up. Here’s a flashlight.” Jim called out. He scrambled up after his guide, afraid for him. He crawled in after Blair and handed him the light. He didn’t need it.

“Meg,” Blair and Jim called out together. Objects fell around them as the stepped carefully on the fallen debris.

Jim focused his hearing and pinpointed a dog’s whine. He pointed, “Down there.”

They made their way precariously through the myriad of wreckage that used to be Meg’s furniture.

The dog barked loudly now with people in sight.

Jim saw with his enhanced vision that Meg was trapped in her bed far below. The two men worked their way down to her. They lifted the bookcase off her and in a fireman’s carry, Jim took her back up. Blair cleared their way.

Outside, Brown and Simon were yelling Meg’s name as they heard the inside collapse. They climbed to the window that Blair had used and were waiting. They called Jim and Blair’s names as they stuck their heads in.

Blair answered, “We’re okay. We’re coming out. We need an ambulance.”

Brown and Banks stayed at the window, waiting, after they told Megan to get an ambulance. They helped receive Aunt Meg as Jim passed her through the window.

Relieved to see her alive, Brown joked, “How about some steak and eggs?”

Meg joked back, “How nice you all came over.” She smiled at the boys that surrounded her. They helped her off her twisted house and on to the waiting gurney that Megan had waiting for her.

Blair stuck to her side as the paramedics started to check her out.

Meg looked past them to Jim and called out to him, “Jim, get Bows for me. I think he’s a bit shook up.”

Jim responded, “Don’t worry, I’ll get him.”

Blair spoke to the medic, “Is she okay?”

The young man nodded, “But we’ll probably keep her overnight to be safe.”

Meg argued, “No, I’m all right.”

Blair shook his head, “Unhuh, you’re going to the hospital.”

“All right, all right, but I’ll drive myself.” Meg told them.

Rafe whispered to her, “Honey, your car’s in a tree around the corner.”

“Damn.” Meg laid back down.

Jim emerged carrying the golden retriever in his arms. Blair smiled his thanks to the man.

The house chose that moment to collapse further. Meg called out worriedly for Bows. Simon and Joel both reassured her that Jim had her dog.

Blair sat with Meg in the ambulance as the medics wrapped her wrist. The team watched the Doppler readouts.

Wakita was indeed an F-4. Now word was in that two cells were converging and had all indications of being the biggest storm of the day. It looked to be about twenty-five miles northeast of Wakita.

Rafe grabbed his maps to plot it, Simon and Brown conferred with Jim. An F-5 was predicted.

Blair hated that his Aunt Meg was injured. “I’m so sorry for not being here.”

“You got me out. You saved Bows. Honey, there was no warning. It was just on us. You got to stop it.” Meg told her nephew.

Blair shook his head, “I don’t know how.”

“Yes, you do. You’ve been studying them most of your life.” Blair looked speculative, “Go. I’ll be fine. Stop them.”

Jim watched as Blair emerged and Meg’s ambulance left. Blair stood still, just staring out. Jim said worriedly, “Blair.”

Blair was transfixed by Meg’s metal pinwheels. Jim called his name again. Blair answered this time. “Jim, I know how to make Dorothy fly.”

The soon to be ex-weatherman looked at what his partner was staring at…the pinwheels. He got it, his face lit up. “Of course, of course.” They nodded and smiled at each other, in tune again.

Blair called out to the team, “I need every aluminum can you can find.”

“We need cutters and duct tape.” Jim said as follow up. “Simon, I want to get the last Dorothy loaded so that both are in the back of my truck.”

Following Rafe’s directions, they headed northeast as the dawn cut into the horizon. As Simon drove, the rest of the team cut, snipped, taped and redid the sensor balls so that each one had wings.

As they drew closer they could see the twister stretch across the sky. A funnel to the heavens.

Jim stopped where the team would deploy and took on all the altered sensor balls. They filled Dorothy 3 and 4.

Megan called out as the team leaders were ready to take off, “Be careful, guys.”

Jim smiled, “Just be ready to record.”

As a team in syncromesh, the duo worked in tandem with each other. The rest felt elated, they knew it would work. The team was whole again.

“A half mile more and we’ll put her right in the middle of the road.”

They stopped and offloaded Dorothy 3. They placed her in the road, turned her on and drove back out of the way.

Blair said into his headset, “Simon, you in position?”

“Yeah, we’re primed.” The answer was charged with excitement.

Blair and Jim exchanged a knowing look. Jim told him, “It’s gonna work.”

They parked and each man sat in the open window, Blair had a video camera in his hand to record the flight. Blair called out to the twister, “Take her, take her.”

Jim watched the wind play with the cylinder and shook his head, “It’s too light.”

Determined, “No, she can still play.” Though as he spoke, two uprooted trees slide along the highway overturning the Dorothy. Blair blanched. Jim looked in horror as another tree approached.

Jim yelled, “Get in,” as he put the truck in gear. Another tree slid right at them, getting stuck under the axle. Jim had to back up, pull forward, back up again in an attempt to rock the truck off the tree trunk. All the while he saw cars and a motor boat whiz on by, narrowly missing them.

A gasoline tanker was thrown from the funnel and hit the truck, knocking them off the tree before it bounced into the air again. Jim’s only thought was to get Blair to safety. He headed away from the funnel only to have the tanker drop in front of him. It exploded. He swerved to the right hard enough that he was just able to miss the fireball.

Joel screeched, “Jim, Blair, did you see that explosion.”

Blair grinned at Jim as he answered, “Ah, yeah, we saw it.”

Over the radio, Brown’s voice updated, “This monster is still moving east on the 80. Copy?”

Jim looked to Blair and his expression told he was with him. Jim nodded, “Okay, this is it. Last one.”

Blair looked Jim in the eye, “Last time.” Communicating that he would let the obsession end here.

\-----------

Kincade’s team approached the storm from the other direction, giving them easy access. The leader barked out to the other vans, “We’re getting ready to place. Get ready to monitor.”

The communiqué was heard by Team Sandburg, Jim said, “They have position, they could make it.”

Blair shook his head and said honestly, “Not unless they anchor it.” He then picked up the radio, “Garret, this is Blair. Can you hear me?”

“Not now, Sandburg.” The hoity tones came back.

“Garret, listen to me, the pack is too light. The twister will toss it before it reaches the core. You have to anchor it.”

“Sharing valuable information, Blair? Thank you, I’ll consider it.”

Jim was distracted from the conversation by the shifting of the tornado. Jim grabbed the radio out of Blair’s hand, “Kincade, what’s your position?”

“Howdy, Jim. We’re running northeast. Running parallel, about to pull in front of it. Why?”

“Hang back a second, it looks to shift it’s tracks and head right at you.”

Eddie looked at his boss, “Ellison would never put us in harm’s way.”

“Just shut-up.”

Jim tried again, “Kincade, listen, it’ll…”

“Get off this frequency, Ellison.” Kincade commanded.

Jim saw the twister shift and head directly at the Kincade van. “Eddie, I know you can hear me, get the hell out of there.”

Before Eddie could respond to Jim’s warning, a telephone pole impaled the van windshield as the tornado sucked them up.

The rest of the Kincade team watched helplessly as the van was tossed into the center of the funnel.

Blair and Jim watched in shock as the black van was hurled through the air, spun about several times before it crashed into the ground, exploding on impact.

Pissed off, Jim hit the steering wheel as he cursed profusely. Blair hit the dash, horrified by what he witnessed.

“Stupid.” Jim yelled out into the cab.

“We tried. There was nothing we could do.” Blair tried to relieve Jim of the guilt he always seemed to take on in these situations.

Jim got an idea, “Yes, there is.”

Joel broke in, “Ground speed’s increasing. Get ahead of it as fast s you can, or she’ll bury ya.”

Jim did as he suggested.

The storm ate up everything behind them. Blair saw seven John Deere tractors sucked up. The garage was gone, the trees and telephone poles, all gone. Jim pushed the truck to its limit, but the wind spirals were faster, dropping off the recently consumed. A bulldozer landed the highway just in front of them.

Jim swerved to miss it as Blair called out, “Simon, we have debris.”

“Debris? Chief, you are the master of understatement.” Jim almost grinned.

Tractors, a columbine, wheels and trees fell on the road before them.

Blair called out directions, “Right……left……right……left.”

A tire hit the windshield, cracking it. “What next?” Jim said in exasperation.

“Jim. Blair. You still with us?” Simon called to them.

Before they could answer, a tumbling house rolled onto the road and stopped. Jim pulled Blair’s seatbelt tighter as he shouted, “Oh my god, I think we’re going in.”

And inside they went. They crashed right through the caddywampus house, driving through the livingroom, kitchen, a bedroom, knocking the already overturned furniture. They sent a snuffles bear flying to land on the couch as a refrigerator rolled away from them. They exited the house through the den, the twister still in pursuit.

“Maybe we should get off this road,” Jim said casually, like it was up for discussion.

“I think you’re right,” Blair replied, eyes at their widest point.

Over the radio, “Jim, Blair? You all right?”

“Simon, Brown, you guys set up?” Blair said into the mic.

“Blair, we’re set. You going in?” Simon responded.

“We’re going in,” Blair said as he checked the remote radio.

“You ready?” Jim looked to his partner.

“I’m on it.”

“Be careful.” Jim told him.

Blair leaned out the back center window and turned on the Dorothy 4. “She’s up.” They nodded at each other.

\---

Rafe called out, “We can’t see ‘em. Can you see ‘em?”

Megan shouted, “Doppler is great. Wind speed’s still increasing.”

Joel stood amazed, “Never seen anything like it.”

Simon bellowed out for them all, “They’re gonna punch the core.”

\---

Blair looked at his beloved, “You ready?”

Jim nodded, “Yeah, let me set the cruise control.” He fiddled with the steering column. “Okay, we’re good.”

“On three.”

“On three,” Jim agreed, “Go.”

They opened their doors and placed themselves ready to jump.

Jim counted, “One…two…three.” They jumped into the cornfield.

Jim was enveloped by the tall corn stalks. He righted himself and rushed over to Blair. They stood together, watching, hands clasped, chanting, “Go…go…go.”

The truck continued into the heart of the twister. It was sucked up and the lid was ripped off, releasing all the sensor balls. They were uplifted into the funnel, spinning everywhere.

“YES!” Blair and Jim shouted. They hugged each other tight as the sensors disappeared from their sight.

Simon stood, binoculars glued to his eyes, looking for any evidence. He found it and yelled, “She’s flying. Dorothy’s flying.”

Cheers rang out.

Megan looked down to her computer screen, “Guys, we’re already getting readings.” She was excited.

Rafe jumped up and down with Daryl, “It’s working.”

“We’re gonna be very popular,” Brown was already strutting.

“We did it,” Joel said, proud of all they accomplished.

Simon told a deep breath, “We just made history.”

Megan had kept her eyes glued to the screen, “Hey, it’s about to shift northeast.”

Brown shouted into the radio, “Jim, Blair. It’s about to shift. We think you should get out of there.”

Jim and Blair were not able to hear without the truck. Their communication equipment was gone.

The two stood watching Jim’s dream work and didn’t see the shift. The twister was coming right at them, Jim grabbed Blair and pulled him as they ran full out to the house they saw to the left.

The twister was zigging and zagging just enough to give the duo time to reach the barn. Jim deemed it unsafe due to the high number of farm tools. He spied the watershed and ushered Blair there. The wind tried to pull his guide away from him, but the sentinel held on with superhuman strength. He would not lose what he had just regained.

Inside the shed, Jim quickly ascertained that the pipes were sturdy. “These pipes go down thirty feet. If we anchor ourselves to them, we might have a chance.” Jim found leather straps hanging, he looped them around the pipes, then Blair. He did one for himself, then gripped Blair to him, covering him, keeping him as close as he could.

As the twister centered over them, they were lifted off the ground, but not taken. A dream come true for Blair. He was seeing the center of a twister and would live to tell.

Just as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving a debris ridden area behind. The barn was gone but the house stood. Its family emerged, safe and sound, to a sunny sky.

Jim unlooped Blair and they made their way out of the rubble around them. As soon as they were clear, Jim had his hands all over Blair, checking for injury.

“You okay?”

Nodding, “Yeah, you?”

They smiled.

Blair bounced, “We did it.”

Seeing the Blair bounce clicked the last loose end into place for Jim, “Yeah, we did. Dorothy really flew.”

Blair touched his sentinel, “It was a good idea.”

Humbled, “Yeah, well, I…”

Blair broke in excited, talking a mile a minute. “We have to get grant approval for a new early warning system. We need a bigger lab. You have to start analysis of all the data..”

Jim cut in, “I do?”

“Yeah, we have to generate miles out of all this data. I need to run the lab.”

Jim said, “No, you’re doing the analysis. I’m running the lab.”

Surprised Blair said, “You’re running the lab? I don’t think so.”

Jim looked into eyes he never wanted to do without again, “Do you always have to do things the hard way?”

Blair smiled his special Jim smile.

Jim didn’t care about anything else at that moment but Blair’s lips. He leaned in and claimed them. Two lost souls found the missing piece and rejoined them to form one complete one.

The storm chasers pulled up and as soon as they saw their team leaders, they cheered. They were back, they were whole.

Epilogue

Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg decided to jointly run the lab and analyze the data. Jim reworked a few modifications on the Dorothy’s and got more grants than they could count.

Now they not only owned the loft together, they lived in it together. Bonded, heart and soul.

“Thanks for not giving up on me,” Jim told his lover as they lay together in their new bed.

“Never a choice. No real life without you.” Blair said as he pressed kisses to the smooth chest.

Jim nuzzled his guide’s neck, drawing in the scent he loved most. His Blair.

Blair let his hand drift down and encountered a rejuvenating hardness. He palmed it. “I feel a storm brewing.” Blair loved the groans Jim made.

“Looks like two storms,” Jim said as his hand latched on to Blair.

Blair pressed himself firmly against Jim. They’d do it together, that’s how they worked best.

fini


End file.
